Zip Line Fun

 They still can't get enough of this zip line! They see if the person on the zipline can go faster than the person racing on foot!

 They fall mid-way through the line and think it's the absolute best.

They bounce off trees & run back to do it all again :)
It's a pretty fabulous thing to have a zipline. It even makes their Daddy want to build one for himself!

Our Valentines Re-Cap

 This is what the kids woke up to on Valentine's morning {we celebrated on the 13th due to CC on the 14th}
There were treats from boths sets of grandparents and they knew that Momma & Daddy were taking them somewhere fun but had no idea where.

 She {kate} LOVED the shoes and she really, REALLY wanted to bring them home!

 I blame my horrible, horrible score (beating Emmaline by 1 pin) on bowling around Ziggy

 They danced, partied, jumped for joy as their balls rolled down the alley & they had plenty of time since the average ball took 32 seconds to reach the pins.

Reed is ready to go "bowling balling" again! And I'm ready to redeem my score against Emma ... I blame the baby bump and the bumpers!! 

Painting Like the Professionals

 Painting like Michelangelo
on their backs like he did while painting the Sistine Chapel

 Emma started out crying because it was so weird and Kate's first response was "WHAT IN THE WORLD"
but they got the hang of it and had a fabulous time & then came home and told Daddy all about it :)
And all 3 of them had to pretend to paint the chapel.

We enjoy Classical Conversations for many reasons but doing extra fun art projects is a huge bonus!
{above is the masterpiece that our class created!}

Guilt Free

It's hard to see but what you're looking at is the top of Ziggy's head! It's a big healthy head!
I have always had guilt that I ended up with a c-section with Emma ... I mean women have been giving birth for thousands of years and I couldn't. Most likely unrealistic guilt.

Anyway, my doctor and I had talked about having a V-BAC but then she scheduled me for an ultrasound earlier this week.
Upon inspecting Ziggy's sweet little head we had a heart to heart ... I knew it wasn't good when she said WOW!! after the first head measurement :) then she asked, "does your husband have a big head?" and "do you remember how big your last baby's head was?"
Um, no, but I remember it got stuck & came out with a nice bruise on it!!

So, with kindness she reminded me that having a c-section does not mean failure. Choosing a c-section is what most likely will be best for this delivery, for MY baby and her big head that will grace us in 5 weeks!
I could try for a natural deliver but that most likely would end up in another emergency-ish, c-section like Emma! And I was exhausted after 14 hours of labor and then major surgery. I've been guaranteed that I will not feel as miserable this time and that I might actually remember the day that Ziggy joins us, unlike the day that Emmaline joined us ... I don't remember that day AT ALL!
So, I'm giving up the guilt. I'm thankful that "modern" medicine can get her here safely and I'm going to look forward to holding my sweet girl {and then introducing her to her sweet siblings who are pretty sure she's coming out of my belly button}
No guilt, just a joyful day in March!!

Wordless Wednesday

Because really, what words would I use to describe this picture??

The "BUMP" Update

How far along:

33 weeks ... only 6 weeks to go because of my scheduled c-section at 39 weeks. I cannot believe that this pregnancy is almost done.

Total weight gain:

I have gained 12 pounds with this sweet girl and frankly it all feels like her. I keep telling Jeremy that she's going to be born at 16lbs! I think I feel this way because she's SO high and I can't breathe or tie my shoes or empty the washing maching without interesting poses!

Sleep:

Now that everyone is healthy {minus me} I'm back to sleeping 8-10 hours a night! It's fabulous. I know that sleep is quickly coming to an end so I'm not going to feel guilty about it.



Food cravings:

• Cereal:
• Oranges:
• Anything Jeremy makes: I'm pretty sick of cooking and if our budget wasn't an issue we would eat out for all three meals, 7 days a week but that would be over $600/week to feed our growing family.

Symptoms:

• Heartburn: I’m wondering if baby girl is going to have hair like a monkey because I’ve had some serious heartburn issues the last week or so. And there’s nothing in particular triggering it. Just heartburn.
• Nesting: Yep, this again

Gender:

A sweet baby girl who I think has a name ... at least I'm 89.26526686723% sure she does!!

What I’m looking forward to:

• My mom & then Jeremy's mom visiting!  So selfishly looking forward to that time.
• Our baby shower. My Bible Study friends are throwing us a baby shower & the theme ... diapers & casseroles! Because that is about all we need for this baby diapers and quick food when I fly solo three weeks after delivery.
• Family Pictures!!: We're getting family pictures/maternity pictures taken in a few weeks and I'm super excited. I never had these done with Emma's pregnancy. I'm praying ... PRAYING we capture a few precious moments.
• Seeing her cute face: I can only imagine her looking like Emmaline so I'm excited to see if she looks different, maybe she'll have blue eyes & red hair :)

What I miss:

Nothing of significance this week…but breathing normally would be awesome

Our Weekly Review

Part of our CC memory work this week was learning the highest mountains on each continent. Because I'm slowly learning that Kate learns best with hands on & music we made salt dough maps! Eventually we painted them and then wrote the names of each mountin range. CC always makes me feel like I have SO much to learn!

On Sunday, due to Reed having Influenza B, Jeremy took the girls fishing. I packed them a lunch and off they went for 7 hours of fishing, and fishing stores, and parks and other adventures that I'm sure I didn't hear about! I'm so, SO thankful that he is willing and loves to spend quality time with his kids.

 

 {above} the stink eye during math... we're working on not giving the stink eye and also NOT rolling our eyes but man it is a constant battle.

 I'm slowly introducing Reed to "preschool" activities. I've wanted to wait until he was a little older, because I hear/have experienced that boys learn a little slower. I've waiting until he is showing interest and that seems to be about now. He will work at the table while the girls are busy with their school tasks. It's been fun to watch him lead the way into learning!

 With so many germs in my house I have tried to get the kids outside every day. Even if it is just for 45 minutes. Here are 2 out of 3 ready for the zip line!! That has been the best Christmas gift ever!! I think this year we're going to ask for a basketball hoop :)

One night this week Reed set up a toy store! Everything cost $2 and the girls could pay with wooden blocks! That's my find of toy store!